


Fool's Errand

by infernal



Category: Original Work
Genre: Biting, Blood Drinking, M/M, Vampire Hunters, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-08-01 02:57:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16276514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infernal/pseuds/infernal
Summary: When things go sideways on a routine hunt, Julian finds himself as prey instead. He expects death, but finds that an old enemy has different plans.





	Fool's Errand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bloominglilytrees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloominglilytrees/gifts).



> I loved your prompt for this pairing, bloominglilytrees! I hope you enjoy this.
> 
> To any gore-averse readers, I tried to keep injury descriptions to a minimum, but this story does contain a considerable amount of biting.

Julian's progress through the forest was maddeningly slow. The wounds on his body were many, but he lacked the time to bandage them. The best he could do was to press the palm of his hand against the worst of them - the bite on his chest, just over his heart - as he stumbled along. He was thankful to see the trees thinning out around him; that meant he was nearing the river, and crossing it would mean his safety. Still, it was dread that filled him, not relief; while he was foolish enough to take on a pack of vampires alone, he was not foolish enough to think his escape was due to his own skill and cleverness. No, he'd been _allowed_ to escape, and they were taking pleasure in toying with their prey.

But there was little alternative, save to lay down and die, so he pressed doggedly on.

No sooner had he caught sight of the river than his suspicions were confirmed. The pack's leader hopped down from the high branches of a tree, looking for all the world as though he'd been waiting there all night for Julian's arrival. Perhaps he had. It was really the only point of escape, unless he wanted to draw them back towards the village.

Julian fought the instinct to back away. Surely the rest of the pack was waiting for him to walk right into their grasp. Better to wait for his chance to slip past the leader and into the stream. He kept his eyes level with the vampire's, trying to avoid looking to either side lest he alert him to his intention to dart to one side. "Go on, then," he said, staring him down. Surely the vampires weren't done with him yet - the sky had yet to lighten to the dull blues and grays that came before dawn.

He wasn't expecting for the leader to call his bluff. Faster than should be possible, the vampire was on him, fangs digging into his throat. He let out a surprised, pained groan and pushed ineffectively at the vampire for a few moments before regaining his wits. They'd chased him through the forest, after all, and he'd had time as he ran to grab a branch that, while less elegant than a stake, would serve the same purpose well enough. He slipped it from the remains of his tattered sleeve and drove it into the vampire's chest.

The leader fell, staring at him in disbelief as he pressed his hand to his chest, as Julian had done just moments ago with his own wound. Julian had no time to gloat; the angry hisses of the remaining pack members echoed behind him, and he was bleeding out from the new bite at his throat. He lurched forward, into the stream.

The blood loss had taken its toll, and he was far too light-headed to keep his balance on the wet rocks. He slipped and found it difficult to regain his footing, though the water was thankfully shallow enough that he was not fully submerged. The vampires snarled and hissed from the shore, and he wondered that they didn't try to snatch him from the waters. Perhaps they couldn't even reach across running water? Or they feared touching it, perhaps? Abel, the hunter who'd trained him, had been unclear of the _whys_ of a vampire's aversion to running water - just that it worked, and to be thankful for it. 

Julian bared his teeth in a triumphant grin at them. He would die in this river, most likely, but it was a pleasurable enough thought that they would witness his death, unable to claim their prize or seek revenge for their fallen leader.

He was unprepared for the strong arms that lifted him suddenly from the stream, pulling him back to the safety of the other side. "Fancied a swim, did you?" 

Relief hit him at the familiar voice. Elijah and he had long called each other enemy; surely he would jump at the opportunity to finish Julian off in front of a rival pack. Two birds with one stone - Elijah could kill his nemesis and rob his rivals of their victory. It was, Julian thought, better to die at the hands of a worthy enemy than to bleed out in a freezing river because of a pack of half-feral vampires, and at least the pain would end. He sagged with relief, and would have fallen were it not for Elijah's firm grip on him. He lurched forward, letting Elijah take the brunt of his weight. 

Instead of the bite he expected, he found himself suddenly aloft, cradled in Elijah's arms. "Well, now. You're in quite the state, aren't you, Jules?" Elijah asked, his voice conversational as he carried Julian into the woods on the other side of the river, away from the pack.

Laughter bubbled up in his throat, almost painful. The other vampires would not even get to see his death. This end seemed better and better, even as it spiraled closer. He tipped his head against Elijah's chest and let the darkness take him, finally able to let his weary body rest.

* * *

Improbably, he woke up. He blinked in confusion at Elijah, who was leaned over him, applying a tincture to the wound at Julian's throat. When he saw that Julian was awake, he pressed a hand against his throat, where the leader's bite had been. Julian felt no pain from that spot, but Elijah was frowning. "I've healed it, but it will scar," he said. His long fingers trailed over the skin around the wound, and Julian shivered. "Unless I - that is, if you'll allow -"

"Do it," Julian said, his eyes slipping closed again. He was too tired to care, and whatever Elijah did, it would surely be better than wearing the mark of a vampire - the mark of his failure - for all to see.

He didn't fully expect the bite at his throat, but it wasn't so shocking that he opened his eyes. He kept them firmly shut, though he drew in a gasp he couldn't seem to release.

It wasn't like the previous bite from the vampires in the woods - though perhaps that was due to his own stillness, the lack of resistance, as much as it was due to Elijah's care. Elijah sucked at the wound just once, twice, and then pulled away. Julian's eyes fluttered open to see Elijah drawing a fang across his lip, splitting it deftly, and then leaning forward again, pressing a gentle, bloody kiss to the reopened wound. 

Julian felt it seal itself closed, and he brought his hand up to feel the unbroken, unblemished skin there. "Thank you," he said. He met Elijah's eyes briefly before his gaze dropped to his mouth. Elijah's own wound had already sealed over, but his lips were still covered with their mingled blood. Julian felt cold dread seize him. "Your blood," he said. "I won't - turn, will I?"

Elijah's laugh was a small huff of air; Julian felt it against his own mouth, close as they were. "No, hunter," he said, with the patience of someone talking to a particularly oblivious child. "It takes much more blood than that to become a vampire, and you'd have to lose a lot more than that besides." He leaned back, his gaze raking over Julian's body. "Though it looks like you were doing a fine job on the blood loss long before I happened upon you."

Julian followed his gaze to the remaining wounds on his body - the wounds were healed, but scars littered his arms, and there was still the one that drew the most of his ire, the one above his heart. The leader had delighted in placing it, marking him as though they were lovers, not hunters and prey. "You," he started. His mouth was dry, and he darted his tongue out across his lips. "You could get rid of the other scars too, if you wanted. If you didn't mind."

Elijah's eyes were bright with amusement, and - fondness? It was a strange expression to see on an enemy's face, but Julian was glad of it now. He would survive this encounter, he thought. And the gentleness and warmth he was being treated with might have been a ploy, but somehow he didn't think Elijah would play games with him. 

Not like that, anyway. The thrill of the hunt was a game of its own, Julian supposed. He'd certainly treated his searches for Elijah, his research, their fights, with the enthusiasm another man might show for his favourite hobby. And Elijah had always reacted in kind - the last time Julian had tracked him, his lips had curled into a satisfied smile. "Good to see you again, Jules," he'd said, as though greeting an old friend, before launching into an attack. 

And then there was the fact they'd always walked away from their battles. It was easy enough work to kill a lone vampire, and Julian had slain his fair share. And skilled as he was, Elijah must have had a fair few kills under his belt, as well. But somehow, Julian always walked away unscathed, and he'd yet to so much as attempt a killing strike against Elijah over the years. Their battles always left him energized, focused, and with dawning realization, Julian realized he'd been keeping him alive solely because Elijah gave him purpose in a way that no other person, alive or undead, did.

Perhaps it was mutual, because the fondness remained on Elijah's face as he shrugged, lips curling into a smile like they had during that last fight. "I suppose I could do that," he said. "Though you'll owe me a favor." 

"Better keep me alive, then, so I can repay it," Julian said, and Elijah laughed again.

Elijah began with the left arm, reopening four - five? it was hard to keep track - bites before sealing them again, leaving his skin as unmarked as it had been before his failed hunt. He moved onto the other arm; there were fewer bites there, but he lingered, pressing his lips against each one for longer. Julian's breath hitched as the last bite on his arm was healed, Elijah's mouth remaining pressed into the crook of his elbow long moments after the scar had faded.

"One last one," Elijah said, eyeing the bite on Julian's chest. 

"Go ahead," Julian said, and Elijah needed no further invitation, ducking his head down and reopening it. It hurt more than the others had, against the bone rather than the fat and muscle of his arms, and he hissed a little. Elijah's eyes met his as he drew the blood, a question in his eyes even as Julian rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in reassurance. He let Elijah drink another mouthful before gripping his shoulder tightly and shaking his head. "Stop."

"Did I hurt you?" Elijah asked. "I'm sorry, I -" 

But Julian was shaking his head. "No, not that," he said. His cheeks flushed as bright as Elijah's, which must be flush with his blood; his heart gave a strange flutter at the observation. "You can, er. You don't have to heal it." _I don't mind_ you _leaving a scar_ , he didn't say, but he hoped his meaning was plain enough.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you, Jules?" Elijah asked, an unfamiliar softness about him. "Just let me - here, I don't want any of _their_ marks left on you, give me a moment -" He sealed the last wound, then sank two fangs back down. He didn't draw anything from the bite, just lapped at it to stop the bleeding, and moved back to examine the work.

"Thank you," Julian said again, and let his eyes closed. While his mind was buzzing, his body was sluggish again, sore, and he could feel sleep drawing him in again. 

"My pleasure," Elijah said as Julian drifted off, sounding a little dazed. "Believe me, it was no trouble at all."

* * *

When Julian woke again, he was alone - little surprise there, given the dim sunlight filtering in through the windows. A cursory look showed no sign of where Elijah had gone, and Julian didn't bother with a more thorough search before he left the little cabin behind. _Let Elijah keep his secrets_ , he thought. He looked forward to finding them all out eventually.


End file.
